What's at Stake for the State: Undocumented Californians, Immigration Reform, and Our Future Together

Building off a methodology originally pioneered by co-author Enrico A.Marcelli (Demographer, Department of
Sociology, San Diego State University) to estimate the unauthorized, this is the first report to estimate undocumented Californians at this breadth and level of detail. One in six California children has at least one undocumented parent and 81% of those children are citizens. Nearly half (49%) of undocumented Californians have lived here more than 10 years. Undocumented Californians comprise nearly 7% of the state's total population, 8% of all adults and 9% of the state's workforce.

However, achievement of these gains will require a clear and quick roadmap to citizenship. To succeed, federal immigration reform needs to take immigrant integration seriously, and the state and local governments will need to invest in programs to raise education levels, increase English fluency and improve job skills as a way to maximize the potential of undocumented Californians and build a stronger state.